Slip form

ABSTRACT

The slip form apparatus of this invention includes a slip forming pan having a substantially M-shaped transverse configuration and being of a rectilinear length to form concrete material. A material feed assembly is provided at the forwardmost terminal end of the forming pan. The feed assembly includes a material input hopper, and an upper pair of material feeding conduits disposed between the hopper and the upper portions of the forming pan, with one conduit of the pair being disposed at each side of the slip form. The feed assembly also includes a lower pair of material feeding conduits disposed between the hopper and the lower portions of the forming pan, with one of the pair of conduits being disposed at each side of the slip form. Each of the conduits includes an auger which is operable to force material from the hopper to the forming pan. The augers are mounted on suitable shafts and are provided with a drive train, including an engine suitably mounted in the forming pan with its drive shaft disposed forwardly, and a gear train fastened to the forwardmost terminal end of the drive shaft. The gear train includes sprocket means disposed on the auger shafts, the gear means being operable to turn the augers, and wheel means carried on the slip form, which is operable to permit the slip form to move in a predetermined path.

United States Patent [191 Swatzel 41 star FORM Gareth D. Swatzel, Twin Falls, Idaho [73] Assignee: K & S Feed Bunks, lnc., Twin Falls,

Idaho [22] Filed: Dec. 22, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 210,686

[75] Inventor:

[58] Field of Search. 425/62, 63, 64, 218, 219, 376, 425/449; 94/46 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,137,220 6/1964 Smith 94/46 2,818,790 1/1958 Canfield et al.. 94/46 2,707,422 5/1955 Canfield 94/46 Primary Examiner-J. Spencer Overholser Assistant Examiner-DeWalden W. Jones Attorney, Agent, or Firm-John W. Kraft [57] ABSTRACT The slip form apparatus of this invention includes a Mar. 5, 1974 slip forming pan having a substantially M-shaped transverse configuration and being of a rectilinear length to form concrete material. A material feed assembly is provided at the forwardmost terminal end of the forming pan. The feed assembly includes a material input hopper, and an upper pair of material feeding conduits disposed between the hopper and the upper portions of the forming pan, with one conduit of the pair being disposed at each side of the slip form. The feed assembly also includes a lower pair of material feeding conduits disposed between the hopper and the lower portions of the forming pan, with one of the pair of conduits being disposed at each side of the slip form. Each of the conduits includes an auger which is operable to force material from the hopper to the forming pan. The augers are mounted on suitable shafts and are provided with a drive train, including an engine suitably mounted in the forming pan with its drive shaft disposed forwardly, and a gear train fastened to the forwardmost terminal end of the drive shaft. The gear train includes sprocket means disposed on the auger shafts, the gear means being operable to turn the augers, and wheel means carried on the slip form, which is operable to permit the slip form to move in a predetermined path.

1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEW 5'974 3.795.469

SEEEF 2 0F 2 G'APETH D. SWATZEL INVENTOR.

stir roar/r HELD OF lNVENTlON The present invention relates to slip form concrete molding apparatus, and more particularly to slip form apparatus having auger material feeding means.

DESCRlPTlON OF THE PRlOR ART Slip forming means have been confined to relatively simple concrete configurations by the operability of simple slip form material feeding means. Slip forming requires material of a specific viscosity in a substantially homogenous mass. In relatively complex concrete configurations, such as lined ditches and cattle-feeding mangers, concrete material has been cast in fixedly mounted molds. Production of such concrete structures has been limited by the time required to cure and remove the molds.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide concrete forming means for ditch linings, concrete feeding mangers, and the like, which employ traveling slip forming means.

It is a further object of this invention to provide slip forming means which include material feeding means operable to provide an homogenous flow of material under pressure to the slip forming pan thereof.

It is a further object that the feeding means of this invention be provided with variable speed driving means to selectively control material feeding flow and material pressure in the forming pan thereof.

These and other objects shall become apparent from the description following, it being understood that modifications may be made without affecting the teachings of the invention here set out.

SUMMARY OF THE lNVlENTllON Generally, the slip form apparatus of this invention includes a slip forming pan having a substantially M- shaped transverse configuration and being of a rectilinear length to form concrete material. A material feed assembly is provided at the forwardmost terminal end of the forming pan. The feed assembly includes a material input hopper, and an upper pair of mateiral feeding conduits disposed between the hopper and the upper portions of the forming pan, with one conduit of the pair being disposed at each side of the slip form. The feed assembly also includes a lower pair of material feeding conduits disposed between the hopper and the lower portions of the forming pan, with one of the pair of conduits being disposed at each side of the slip form. Each of the conduits includes an auger which is operable to force material from the hopper to the forming pan. The angers are mounted on suitable shafts and are provided with a drive train, including an engine suitably mounted in the forming pan with its drive shaft disposed forwardly, and a gear train fastened to the for wardmost terminal end of the drive shaft. The gear train includes sprocket means disposed on the auger shafts, the gear means being operable to turn the augers, and wheel means carried on the slip form, which is operable to permit the slip form to move in a predetermined path.

A more thorough and comprehensive understanding may be had from the detailed description of the preferred embodiment when read in connection with the drawings forming a part of this specification.

BRlElF DESCRKPTlQN (3F THE DRAWlNGS FlG. l is a left rear perspective view of the slip form of this invention including the baclr stop shown for illustrative purposes.

HO. 2 is a left side elevational view of the slip form of this invention.

FIG. 3 is a front end elevational view of the slip form showing the configuration of the drive train thereof.

lFlG. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the slip form showing the materials hopper, the materials angers, and the drive train thereof.

DETAlLED DESCRllTlON 0F Tl-llli PREFERRED EMBODlMENT Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to the H63. l and 2, the slip form of this invention is shown to advantage and identified by the numeral lit). The slip form to comprises a forming pan l l, a feed assembly l2, and a drive train Generally, the forming pan ll provides a chassis on which the feed assembly 12 and the drive train iii are mounted. The feed assembly i2 is carried on the forward terminal portion of the forming pan 1 l, and the drive train 13 is carried within the forward portion of the forming pan ll with respect to the travel of the slip form ill. The slip form ll) is provided with dirigible means, such as a plurality of wheels M, fastened to the terminal sides of the forming pan 11 and the drive assembly 112 by means of posts l5. The wheels 14 are operable to ride on rails 16 disposed on either side of the slip form in during the casting operation. The height of the slip form ill with respect to the ground may be selectively controlled by screw jacks 17 provided in the posts l5. lt is to be understood that the angle of attack of the slip form MB to the ground may be selectively controlled by the screw jacks l7.

As shown more clearly in the H6. l, the forming pan ll has a substantially M-shaped transverse configuration in which the outer terminal walls iii are inclined outwardly from top to bottom and are taller than the interior walls ill", in which the interior walls ill" are inclined inwardly from top to bottom, and in which a bottom wall lll is disposed between the lowermost terminal edges of the interior walls l l The rectilinear length of the forming pan ii is determined by the requirements of working and finishing the concrete material. The forming pan llll is substantially smooth on its material-contacting side, and may he fabricated of convoluted metal.

The feed assembly l2 includes a hopper 18,251 pair of upper conduits W, and a pair of lower conduits 2th.. The hopper it is a substantially rectangular materialinputting hin having its outer walls inclined inwardly from top to bottom. As shown by the Flt the lowermost terminal wall of the hopper lid includes a rectilinearly disposed substantially inverted ll-shaped deflector 231. The deflector 21 is operable to direct material outwardly toward the conduits l9 and ZED. The conduits l9 and 20 are disposed rectilinearly from the terminal ends or" the raised portions of the forming pan llll to the forwardmost end of the hopper The portions of the conduit l9 and 2@ within the hopper it are open to receive material. The upper conduits 19 are operable to feed material to the upper portions of the pan llll while the lower conduits 2d are operable to feed material to the lower portions of the pan ii, To this end, screwlike angers 22 and 23 are disposed in the respective conduits 19 and 20. The augers 22 and 23 are carried on shafts 24 and 24', and 25 and 25, respectively, supported by journal bearings (not shown). Each of the auger shafts 24, 24, 25, and 25 projects from the forwardmost terminal end of the hopper 18. It is to be understood that in addition to feeding material through the conduits 19 and 20 to the forming pan 11, the augers 22 and 23 are operable as vibrating means to produce a concrete mass which is substantially homogenous in character.

Referring again to the FIGS. 1 and 2, the drive train 13 comprises an engine 26 and a gear train subassem bly 27. The engine 26 is mounted in the central portion of the forming pan ll enclosed by the interior walls 11" and the bottom wall 11". It is to be understood that this configuration of the engine 26 and the forming pan 11 provides the compact structure, and the mass of the engine 26 provides downward compressive force for material forming. The drive shaft 28 of the engine 26 projects forwardly beneath the deflector 21 from the forwardmost terminal end of the hopper 18, as shown in the FIG. 4.

The gear subassembly 27 is dependingly carried on a stanchion 29 disposed at the forwardmost terminal end of the feed assembly 12, shown more clearly in the FIGS. 2 and 3. Referring to the FIG. 4, the gear subassembly 27 includes a speed reducer 29, a pair of driving sprockets 30 and 30, a pair of intermediate sprockets 31 and 31', and driven sprockets 32, 32', 33, and 33'. The forwardmost terminal end of the drive shaft 28 is connected to the input portion of a commonly known speed reducer 29'. The output shaft of the speed reducer 29' is provided with a pair of substantially identical driving sprockets 30 and 30'. Each of the driving sprockets 30 and 30v is connected to one of the intermediate driven sprockets 31 and 31' by means of chains 36 and 36. Each of the sprockets 31 and 31' is mounted on suitable journal bearings (not shown) distally from the forwardmost terminal ends of the shafts 25 and 25', respectively. The shafts 24 and 25 are provided, respectively, with suitable driven sprockets 32 and 33, and the shafts 24 and 25 are provided, respectively, with sprockets 32 and 33. The sprockets 32 and 33, and the sprockets 32 and 33', are connected, respectively, by means of suitable driving chains 36" and 36". It has been found to advantage to provide the upper sprockets 32 and 32' of the shafts 24 and 24 with sprockets which produce a lower speed than the lower sprockets 33 and 33 of the shafts 25 and 25. I

As shown by the FIG. 1, it has been found to advantage to provide a butress 37 against which the slip form may act. The buttress 37 may include a pair of paralplurality of rectilinearly parallelly disposed support members 39 fastened between the interior sides of the plates 38 and 38. The slip form 10 may be actuated along the rails 16 by any of a variety of means, such as self-propelled drive means, towing means by an auxililelly transversely disposed end plates 38 and 38 and a ary power source, or by a winch fastened to a pier (not shown) at the forwardmost end of the slip form operation.

In operation, the augers 22 and 23 are driven by the gear subassembly 27 by the engine 26. Material is conveyed to the hopper l8, and is directed by the deflector 21 to the augers 22 and 23 and through the conduits l9 and 20. Material under pressure from the augers 22 and 23 tends to expand in the forming pan 11, and is formed into a trough-like configuration.

Having thus described in detail a preferred apparatus which embodies the concepts and principles of the invention and which accomplishes the various objects, purposes and aims thereof, it is to be appreciated and will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many physical changes could be made in the apparatus without altering the inventive concepts and principles embodied therein. Hence, it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited only to the extend indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A slip form, comprising:

a slip forming pan having a substantially M-shaped transverse configuration and having a'rectilinear length operable to form concrete material;

a material feed assembly disposed at the forwardmost terminal end of said forming pan, said feed assembly including a material input hopper, said hopper includes outer walls inclined inwardly from top to bottom and a deflector provided on the lowermost terminal wall of said hopper, said deflector having a rectilinearly disposed, substantially inverted V- shaped configuration, said deflector having a rectilinearly disposed, substantially inverted V-shaped configuration, said deflector being operable to direct material outwardly toward said augers in said conduits, an upper pair of material feeding conduits disposed between said hopper and the upper portions of said forming pan with one conduit of said pair being disposed at each side of said slip form, and a lower pair of material feeding conduits disposed between said hopper and the lower portion of said forming pan with one conduit of said pair being disposed at each side of said slip form, said conduits each including an auger operable to force material from said hopper to said forming pan, said augers being mounted on suitable shafts; 

1. A slip form, comprising: a slip forming pan having a substantially M-shaped transverse configuration and having a rectilinear length operable to form concrete material; a material feed assembly disposed at the forwardmost terminal end of said forming pan, said feed assembly including a material input hopper, said hopper includes outer walls inclined inwardly from top to bottom and a deflector provided on the lowermost terminal wall of said hopper, said deflector having a rectilinearly disposed, substantially inverted Vshaped configuration, said deflector having a rectilinearly disposed, substantially inverted V-shaped configuration, said deflector being operable to direct material outwardly toward said augers in said conduits, an upper pair of material feeding conduits disposed between said hopper and the upper portions of said forming pan with one conduit of said pair being disposed at each side of said slip form, and a lower pair of material feeding conduits disposed between said hopper and the lower portion of said forming pan with one conduit of said pair being disposed at each side of said slip form, said conduits each including an auger operable to force material from said hopper to said forming pan, said augers being mounted on suitable shafts; a drive train including an engine suitably mounted in said forming pan with its drive shaft disposed forwardly, and a gear train subassembly fastened to the forwardmost terminal end of said drive shaft, said gear train subassembly including sprocket means disposed on said auger shafts, said gear subassembly being operable to turn said augers; and dirigible means carried on said slip form operable to permit said slip form to move in a predetermined path. 